'12 CA DT/DE Arik Armstead (Oregon Verbal)

[Bogtrotter07]

NOBODY is arguing with that.

 

[NDhoosier]

Exactly. Arik's switch to D line makes his rating possibly inflated (in fact he has dropped considerably in the latest rankings, correct?). And I think NDhoosier's main point was just that D line is not a major position of need right now. WhiskeyJack convinced me that quality depth is important, but still, hoosier is not wrong about that.

Agreed, with limited schollies, I think there are other positions we could recruit that would have a much need impact. Our DLine is solid, if we got the Armstead, we may have the best Dline in the country because you are right, our subs would be as good as our starters. If we got the Armsteads, I would be happy, because he is talented. I would like to bring Cave, Slaughter, and KLM back, that only leaves us with a couple schollies for 2012 recruits: Darby, Poole, Ekanem, Neal, Nelson, and Standifer are guys I would love to have because they fill more of our needs. If Arik was willing to play OL, I may change my stance and say that he is GREATLY WANTED...

 

[Rack Em]

Haha, business law? I took it last semester. Really interesting.

Nah, law school.

Guys, Buster said "arguably" because Arik was #1, I believe, on Scout and 247 at one point. Hoosier, Buster simply overreacted to your post. One thing this team will always need is great players on the DL. You don't turn down players like Arik and it hurts when they walk away. I like how optimistic you are about our DL, I am too. But DL is ALWAYS a position of need because of how often we rotate. As OMM will attest to, one or two injuries with the bug uglies can have us ****ed in a heartbeat. Keep posting big guy.

Guys I'm super serial, but we need to be patient for Arik and stop getting out panties in a bunch. I predict Ironman or Hollywood is going to get into this thread in a few minutes and say it again. Are we all of a sudden forgetting that Auburn's basketball team sucks? I like our chances head-to-head with them.

EXCELSIOR!!!!!

 

[Irish2015]

Could we try to keep this thread to Arik and Armond news?

 

[PLACforever]

ESPNU just listed Arik Armstead as a ND commit. Strange!

It was during the Recruiting Nation show.

That's pretty much the kiss of death for us, if ESPN recruiting said it, it's either 2 month old news or straight up wrong.

 

[stlnd01]

Biggest things I gleaned from that interview:
- He wants to play 3-4 DE (Does Auburn or Oregon play a 3-4? I don't know. Could bode well for us).
- He wants to play basketball (Whatever. Unless he's NBA-good, someone will set him straight by sophomore year).
- He's not going to Washington (he started to say "most definitely" for the 6th or 8th time and then changed his tune).

Didn't really sound like he was hitched to his brother, at least in his eyes (that may be coming more from his parents?).
Didn't really sound like he'd made a decision. Mostly sounded like an 18-year-old kid who's got a lot on his plate and isn't sure what to tell this hot 25-year-old California chick who has shown up in his living room with a TV camera.

So, really, who knows. I doubt Arik Armstead does at this point. But I don't care how deep our D-Line is, we can always use more studs up there. I'll take both these guys.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Biggest things I gleaned from that interview:
- He wants to play 3-4 DE (Does Auburn or Oregon play a 3-4? I don't know. Could bode well for us).

Oregon runs a 3-4, but Auburn's new DC is a 4-3 guy. Yet another reason I have a hard time believing they're a serious contender.

 

[GUknights75]

Didn't really sound like he was hitched to his brother, at least in his eyes (that may be coming more from his parents?).

I read somewhere that quoted Armond saying he is fallowing Arik wherever he goes. So sounds like the decision is all based on Arik, and what he listed as his priorities for a school I couldn't help but think ND winning in every category, I like our chances.

 

[stlnd01]

I read somewhere that quoted Armond saying he is fallowing Arik wherever he goes. So sounds like the decision is all based on Arik, and what he listed as his priorities for a school I couldn't help but think ND winning in every category, I like our chances.

True, but two of his stated final four are in the Pac-10, which is out for Armond. Even Auburn seems iffy for big brother. It appears we've got as good a shot as anyone, but reading between the lines it seems like the equation that put us briefly in the lead was basketball + Armond - Cal. With another couple of weeks to settle out, priorities might shift. And it wouldn't be surprising to see another school or two enter the mix. We'll see. I'm sure our coaching staff will do their best to get them to South Bend.

 

[Buster Bluth]

You really need to stop with the insults. If you are going to insult, at least have the decency of explaining why I am wrong. nothing in your post was relevant to the thread discussion... Armstead is not the best player in the country under anyone's list and ill be happy with Tuitt, Nix, KLM, and Lynch.

Nothing there was deliberately insulting. I didn't call you a fool or anything, you are just simply very, very, very, very wrong. Like incredibly wrong. Armstead would plow through folks, and if he ever got turned to an OT he would be the closest thing to Orlando Pace that Notre Dame has seen in a generation or more. He is a huge commit in both size and whatever other measurement someone can come up with.

I do, upon reading it, apologize for the timeout demand, although I did laugh again. I did write it in a ****** econ class and was in a bad mood (Profs who speak a 70/30 mixture of mandarin/English will do that..). Everything else though I stand by firmly!

Again, not to say I don't want the Armsteads ... I would be absolutely thrilled if we got them and both are great players. But they are not as critical to this class as, say, Shepard and Greenberry.

Fair. Losing Armstead certainly won't set Notre Dame back per se, but he is more than a great player. He is an outstanding monster of a human being. He is better than Lynch according to 247 and others and will prove to be an absolute force if he ends up at DL. He's the difference between a great DL than controls the game and a DL that almost makes it unfair. Lynch, Tuitt, Nix, Lewis-Moore, Jones, Day, Armstead, Armstead....holy f*cking hell.

 

[JughedJones]

^^ We would seriously be unstoppable for many years. Right now we're merely going to be incredible.

 

[Buster Bluth]

I guess I would just say that a stud is a stud is a stud, and that just because we have other studs (two clear ones in Lynch and Tuitt), it doesn't mean that he is "just providing depth" or whatever. He is a beast. He will destroy. Calling him "depth" is simply an insult and something that I cannot stand.

 

[raiseherGOLSONblue]

D-Lineman win championships!!! I'll take as many as we can get!!!

 

[FLDomer]

Ok my buddy just said there is a thread on rivals that Arik committs to ND??!!! What is going one....i am freaking out!?!?!?!?!

 

[bert2834]

Just went there and couldn't find anything.

Not real familiar with that site though.

 

[PANDFAN]

all of this talk about us not necessarily needing them....look who just played in the BCS title game...2 teams that have unreal upfront d-line and when 1 needs a breather another beast steps right in...that is where as some have already mentioned...build championships...they stop the run and they get after the qb

 

[FLDomer]

neither am I, but her showed me a thead, but it looks like it was an a$$hole scUM fan that started it to be a....well... an a$$hole

 

[Old Man Mike]

Some of the comments above are out-of-place in an active recruiting thread where the final result of the situation seems dependent upon tenuous influences. Statements about a recruit who is a GREAT athlete under any evaluation should at least acknowledge that, as well as saying that ANY program would love to have him, before launching into criticism. Hopefully Arik is correctly stating that he and his family are no longer paying any attention to fan ridiculousness, which he indicated is a real irritation.

Anyone who feels that Arik Armstead would be a take-it-or-leave-it addition to the Notre Dame football program has let the CONCRETE FACT that Kelly and the staff are hard-at the task of still recruiting him [among VERY few other players and very limited time left], slide out of their brains. Gee. Why would Kelly be doing that?? Must be that Coach has gone into one of his insane periods again, huh??

As to the interview: Arik firstly seems like a great young man, well-spoken and thoughtful. I can easily see him being interviewed as an ND player and putting on a good show that we'll be proud of. Secondly, no one can tell from that interview which schools he's leaning towards. Mentioning ND fourth, in the context that I heard, was meaningless --- and it came out with the least temporal separation from the previous word "Oregon" of any of the schools mentioned. Notre Dame was definitely a word prominently in his mind. Thirdly, he REALLY wants to play basketball. I sensed that the little kid in him feels that this is as big a deal as anything. Bray, therefore may be as big a factor as Kelly.

Time to chill out, be supportive to the staff and the family, and give it the time it needs. Kelly thinks we need Arik. Therefore so do I. Come to Notre Dame, Big Fella.

And bring Armond with you. We like him, too.

 

[mriguy]

The posters who say we don't need them are people that say that so if it does not happen they are not let down if they do not committ. I mean to say we dont need them isnt even sane! It's INSANE!!!

 

[Irish8248]

Here's there link -- free to look premium to open. No Arik to ND thread but there is an Arik spoke to Guss thread. Im not premium but I spend most of my time on rivals and the free board gets more info before the paid or its usually within hours. No chatter over there about Arik..

IrishIllustrated.com - Message Boards

 

[BGIF]

Some of the comments above are out-of-place in an active recruiting thread where the final result of the situation seems dependent upon tenuous influences. Statements about a recruit who is a GREAT athlete under any evaluation should at least acknowledge that, as well as saying that ANY program would love to have him, before launching into criticism. Hopefully Arik is correctly stating that he and his family are no longer paying any attention to fan ridiculousness, which he indicated is a real irritation.

Anyone who feels that Arik Armstead would be a take-it-or-leave-it addition to the Notre Dame football program has let the CONCRETE FACT that Kelly and the staff are hard-at the task of still recruiting him [among VERY few other players and very limited time left], slide out of their brains. Gee. Why would Kelly be doing that?? Must be that Coach has gone into one of his insane periods again, huh??

As to the interview: Arik firstly seems like a great young man, well-spoken and thoughtful. I can easily see him being interviewed as an ND player and putting on a good show that we'll be proud of. Secondly, no one can tell from that interview which schools he's leaning towards. Mentioning ND fourth, in the context that I heard, was meaningless --- and it came out with the least temporal separation from the previous word "Oregon" of any of the schools mentioned. Notre Dame was definitely a word prominently in his mind. Thirdly, he REALLY wants to play basketball. I sensed that the little kid in him feels that this is as big a deal as anything. Bray, therefore may be as big a factor as Kelly.

Time to chill out, be supportive to the staff and the family, and give it the time it needs. Kelly thinks we need Arik. Therefore so do I. Come to Notre Dame, Big Fella.

And bring Armond with you. We like him, too.

^
The wheat among a field of chaff.

 

[PLACforever]

Some of the comments above are out-of-place in an active recruiting thread where the final result of the situation seems dependent upon tenuous influences. Statements about a recruit who is a GREAT athlete under any evaluation should at least acknowledge that, as well as saying that ANY program would love to have him, before launching into criticism. Hopefully Arik is correctly stating that he and his family are no longer paying any attention to fan ridiculousness, which he indicated is a real irritation.

Anyone who feels that Arik Armstead would be a take-it-or-leave-it addition to the Notre Dame football program has let the CONCRETE FACT that Kelly and the staff are hard-at the task of still recruiting him [among VERY few other players and very limited time left], slide out of their brains. Gee. Why would Kelly be doing that?? Must be that Coach has gone into one of his insane periods again, huh??

As to the interview: Arik firstly seems like a great young man, well-spoken and thoughtful. I can easily see him being interviewed as an ND player and putting on a good show that we'll be proud of. Secondly, no one can tell from that interview which schools he's leaning towards. Mentioning ND fourth, in the context that I heard, was meaningless --- and it came out with the least temporal separation from the previous word "Oregon" of any of the schools mentioned. Notre Dame was definitely a word prominently in his mind. Thirdly, he REALLY wants to play basketball. I sensed that the little kid in him feels that this is as big a deal as anything. Bray, therefore may be as big a factor as Kelly.

Time to chill out, be supportive to the staff and the family, and give it the time it needs. Kelly thinks we need Arik. Therefore so do I. Come to Notre Dame, Big Fella.

And bring Armond with you. We like him, too.

Reps... When I'm not on my iPad

 

[clashmore_mike]

Reps... When I'm not on my iPad

#Humblebrag #firstworldproblems

 

[IrishinSyria]

Need=/ really really really really want.

My impression is that we do the latter. The Armsteads (or even just one Armstead) would be huge- not only would our depth at line go from good to elite, but they'd also both spend significant time on the field. That being said, need implies we're in trouble next year if they don't commit. I don't see that being the case...but still... Talent this good can only help.

 

[Emcee77]

Need=/ really really really really want.

My impression is that we do the latter. The Armsteads (or even just one Armstead) would be huge- not only would our depth at line go from good to elite, but they'd also both spend significant time on the field. That being said, need implies we're in trouble next year if they don't commit. I don't see that being the case...but still... Talent this good can only help.

This was more or less my point yesterday. OMM makes a good point, though, that we should probably hold off on the convo about this distinction while Arik's recruitment is active, and for now stick to news about whether they are coming or not. We want the Armsteads, and with them our D line would be monstrous, Steel Curtain-level beasts. That is especially important because a great pass rush without having to rush more than a few guys may give our young DBs a little bit of a break. We should maybe leave this convo at that until the Armsteads make their decision.

 

[NDFAN420]

Some of the comments above are out-of-place in an active recruiting thread where the final result of the situation seems dependent upon tenuous influences. Statements about a recruit who is a GREAT athlete under any evaluation should at least acknowledge that, as well as saying that ANY program would love to have him, before launching into criticism. Hopefully Arik is correctly stating that he and his family are no longer paying any attention to fan ridiculousness, which he indicated is a real irritation.

Anyone who feels that Arik Armstead would be a take-it-or-leave-it addition to the Notre Dame football program has let the CONCRETE FACT that Kelly and the staff are hard-at the task of still recruiting him [among VERY few other players and very limited time left], slide out of their brains. Gee. Why would Kelly be doing that?? Must be that Coach has gone into one of his insane periods again, huh??

As to the interview: Arik firstly seems like a great young man, well-spoken and thoughtful. I can easily see him being interviewed as an ND player and putting on a good show that we'll be proud of. Secondly, no one can tell from that interview which schools he's leaning towards. Mentioning ND fourth, in the context that I heard, was meaningless --- and it came out with the least temporal separation from the previous word "Oregon" of any of the schools mentioned. Notre Dame was definitely a word prominently in his mind. Thirdly, he REALLY wants to play basketball. I sensed that the little kid in him feels that this is as big a deal as anything. Bray, therefore may be as big a factor as Kelly.

Time to chill out, be supportive to the staff and the family, and give it the time it needs. Kelly thinks we need Arik. Therefore so do I. Come to Notre Dame, Big Fella.

And bring Armond with you. We like him, too.

Rhadamanthus, will you ask your brothers Minos and Sarpedon to join you on this board?

 

[Old Man Mike]

Thanks, but I usually am more like the Rhadamanthus which is a minor object orbiting beyond Neptune.

 

[TheSunIsRising]

Need=/ really really really really want.

My impression is that we do the latter. The Armsteads (or even just one Armstead) would be huge- not only would our depth at line go from good to elite, but they'd also both spend significant time on the field. That being said, need implies we're in trouble next year if they don't commit. I don't see that being the case...but still... Talent this good can only help.

It is fair to look at 'need' that way, but another way is what does ND 'need' to compete at a championship level. Kelly has already stated that a strong line, with the ability to eliminate (or, drastically reduce) drop-off from the starters to the 1A's, is a necessity.

So, while the team will not go 6-6 next season were Arik and/or Armond to decide to go elsewhere, adding the two of them (and especially Arik as he has more years of eligibility in front of him), gives Notre Dame a much better likelihood of putting out a DLine that does not wear down throughout the game. Just look at this past year: mid-year the DLine was struggling with injuries (initially EJ, then KLM, and Cwynar had some lost time and then was playing with a cast for several games), Tuitt had his game suspension, and the team went several games with a noticeably less effective defensive front. Granted that Tuitt and Lynch have a season under their belts, but all that has really happened from a numbers perspective is that 2 DL have been added to the team (Day/Jones) and 2 have been lost (EJ and reportedly Cwynar). A couple of unfortunate injuries and the DL is going to show noticeable depletion. DL is the position group on the field where, more than any other, there is a 'need' to rotate guys to keep them fresh/effective.

Old Man Mike said it most succinctly with:

Kelly thinks we need Arik. Therefore so do I

 

[Bogtrotter07]

--- and it came out with the least temporal separation from the previous word "Oregon" of any of the schools mentioned. Notre Dame was definitely a word prominently in his mind. Thirdly, he REALLY wants to play basketball.

Dead on! I already gave you reps on another post today.

 

[IrishMoore1]

Make no mistake. We NEED Arik. You can't miss on a guy and say "oh we'll get someone next year." It doesn't work like that. We need to recruit elite D linemen every year to become an elite program.